Cleated plywood box



Feb. 21, 1961 J. vg. LADD CLEATED PLYWOOD BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 23, 1956 Feb. 21, 1961 J. w. LADD CLEATED PLYWOOD BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 23, 1956 United States Patent 2,972,429 CLEATEDY PLYwoo BOX: John w. add,s o Fair OaksAve, Oak Park, 111. Filed Apr. 23, 1956, bidet/9,824 4' sciai (or. 21:7 12

This invention relates to cleated boxes for packaging and shipment purposes, and more particularly to improved cleated boxes which can withstand greater end thrust loads than the boxes described in my US; Patent No. 2,709,020, patented May 24, 19.5.5.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a cleated box having great, resistance to heavy end; thrust loads, which will take prolonged. rough handling and keep major shockv forces away from its contents, which is strongbut yet light in weight, which presents'a smooth interior; which has; minimum overall dimensions with m m al. nb e t ra pace; whi h may.

be shipped and stored in knockdown condition or part a a mbl d ne ed ond t on th eb s vi t a and sh pp n pace. whi h i. .I. P. 9 mblew t q t e use na ls. h k h ch may. e rea lyfille and. packed in Par al ssem led ndi ion. whish. be q ic lyio e ed. for nspection urses; and th ike an readily. es ss d withqut mp irment. o bgX tren th. whishqt i ss min mum. 9 mher qe aae. w ich el m gates t e sse si or me a h dware. su h hiasssor, ases nd wh h i iiiXRP o st eutact r nd s em e Br e cl te g first pair of opposed side members each including a panel, and a cleat secured at each end edge oflthepanel or: the inside thereof. also includes a second pair of.

opposed'sidel members each including panel and cleatsl enretraioiigau of t he on the inside th ereof, It

further includes a pair of opposed'end memberseach: including a panel. The panels may be made of plywood, ply veneer, reinforc'edcorrugated material, lurnbrjo r the like Thes e members are preferably all prefabrlcated and the various cleats maybe permanently secured to the panels as by clinch nailing or stapling. Tl'1is' as's11 res strong box members capable of rough handling and which maybe readily inexpensively manufactured on a production basis. These prefabricated member s (iiinv st sa slr es, a.

I component parts thereof.

y t ef il in d. Pack n period I a t; th

mb y mayb' 'pr an u nd ore an s i r d in plac e: w v v coy y the panelsoflthe'oppo'sed 'side'rnembers.

box sides to hold the box together. In the completely assembled condition of the box, the panels of the opposed side'members, in a preferred form of the invention, extend substantially the entire length of the .box. The cleats of the second pair of opposed side members extend along the periphery of the sides of the box. The inside cleats of the first pair of opposed side members extend between the "end cleats of the other pair'of opposed side members. The end panels of the box may be secured in place by driving nails through the end of the box and, into the end panels but the contents of the box can suffice to hold the end panels up. The box is secured in assembled condition by securing together the I two pairs of side members and this may be readily each othertoward this end. The box hasstability of. internal, and external-shape. and, distortional stresses are shared by adjacent panel members and supporting cleats;

There is balanced "resistance to splitting. The construe;

tion described is particularly "useful where heavy end thru'stloads are present. Further,- there are no open cracks at any of'the joints between the various members.

Further features of this. invention reside'in the details of construction of the cleated plywood boxo-f this invention "and in the cooperative relationships between the -Qther objects and advantages will becomeapparent to Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 3T3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along theline 4--4 of Fig. 1; I Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional viewtaken substantially along the line 55 of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating another form of the cleated plywood box' of this invention;"and Fig. 7 is a'fragmentary exploded view of a corner of the box shown in Fig. 6.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, there is illustrated one form of the cleated box of this invention, this box being generally designated at 10. It includes 'a first pair of opposed side members 11 and 12, a second pair of opposed side members 21 and 2 2 and a pair of opposed end members 30 and 31. These members are all prefabricated and assembled together for packaging and shipping purposes.

The side member 11 of the first pair of opposed side members includes a panel 13 anda cleat -14 secured to and flush with each end edge ofthe panel13 on the inside thereof. The four corners of the panel 13 are notched, and the cleats 1414 terminate "at the notches: Just inside the notches cleats 15-15' are 'locatedfon the outside of the panel 13. The cleats 15 l 5' terrni acrea e draining of rainwater off the tops 'of the boxes. An

In a like manner, the other opposed side member 12 includes a panel 16 which is notched at the four corners thereof, and a cleat 17 is secured flush with each end edge of the panel 16 on the inside thereof, the cleat terminating at the notches. A pair of cleats 18'-18 are secured to the outside of the panel 16 just inside of the notches of the panel 16 and these end;

cleats terminate flush with the side edges of the panelv 16. These end cleats are optionally notched at the bottom thereof, and an intermediate cleat '18 is provided. which terminates short of the side edges of the panel 16. The various cleats associated with the panels 13 and 16 are permanently secured to their associated panels as by clinch nailing, stapling, etc. at 19. In this way, the cleats are permanently and securely fastened to the panels prior to the assembly thereof.

The side member 21 of the second pair of opposed side members includes a panel 23 having cleats 24-24 secured flush with and along the side edges on the inside thereof. These side cleats terminate short of the end edges of the panel 23, and cleats 24-24 are secured in slightly overlapping relation along the end edges of the panel 23 on the inside thereof, and the ends thereof terminate flush with the side edges of the panel 23. The ends of the side cleats 24-24 are spaced from the end cleats 24'-24' by an amount approximately equal to the widths of the outside'end cleats 15-18 of the first pair of opposed side members. In a like manner;- the other side member 22 includes a panel 25 "having sidecleats 26-26 secured along and flush with the side edges thereof and the inside thereof. These cleats terminate short of the end edges of the panel 25, and cleats 26.-26 are secured in slightly overlapping relation with the end'edges of the panel 25, and the ends-thereof terminate flush with the side edges of the panel. Also, the ends of the side cleats 26-26 are spaced from the end cleats 26'-26' by an amount approximately equal to the widths of the outside end cleats 15'-18 of the first pair of opposed side members.

The end members 30-31 each comprise a panel sized to engage the panels of the first and second pairs'of opposed side members when a box is in its assembled condition. All of'the above mentioned panels are preferably made of plywood although other materials suit able for panels, such as ply veneer, reinforced corrugated material, and lumber or the like-may be used. In assembling the cleated box of this invention, the first pair of opposed side members 11 and 12 are placed in position on the side member 21 of the second pair of opposed side members. The side cleats 24-24 are located on the outside of the first pair of opposed side members 11 and 12,' and then the bottom side edge of the panel 13 rests on and is covered by the panel 23. notches of the panels 13 and 16 of the first pair of'opq posed side members, the notches thereby providing cleartime for the extension of the panels 13 and16 over the end cleats 24-24' of the panel 23'. The end cleats 15-15' and 18-18 on the outside of the panels 13 and 16 extend into the slots defined between the side and end cleats of the panel 23. The bottom ends of the inside cleats 14-14 and 17-17 of the two vertical panels 13 and 16 abut the then upper surfaces of the end cleats 24'-24' of thethen horizontal panel 23. If desired, at this stage, the first pair of opposed side members 11 and 12 may be nailed to the other side member 21 and this may be accomplished by driving nails 40 through the end cleats 24'24' and 26'-26' into the end cleats '-15' and 18'-18'. Thislends stability to this subassembly for the purposes of filling and packing the same. In fact, this sub-assembly may be preformed and stored and shipped in nested condition thereby saving considerable space in so doing.

The pair of opposed end members 30 and 31 are then slipped into place inside of the end cleat members 14- 14 and 24'24'. The edges of the end members. or panels 30 and 31 then engage the inner surfaces 'of the panels 23, 13 and 16.

After the box is filledor packed then the other side member 22 of the second pair of opposed side members is put in place completely to enclose the contents of the box. Here, the then tops of the outer end cleats 15- 15 and 18'-18' fit into the slots defined between the side and end cleats 26-26 and 2626 respectively I this may be readily accomplished by encircling the sidemembers with conventional straps 41 or the like.

secure the straps 41 tightly in place, the overlapping ends of the panel 25. The box is secured in assembled rela-: tion by securing together the two pairs of side members 11, 12, 21 and 22 in any suitable manner. For example,

of the straps may be crimped, as, for example, at 42 and encased in a sleeve 43. Preferably, the straps overlie the outside cleats 15'-15 and 18-18'. The assembled strapped box is extremely strong and will take prolonged rough handling and keep major shock away from its contents.

By reason of the construction of the cleated box of I this invention there is no necessity for nailing during assembly and the resulting box is considerably stronger than a conventional nailed box. The various cleats and panels all functionally cooperate with each other toward this end. The box is extremely stable and maintains its internal and external shape. There is balanced resistance to diagonal distortion and to edge compression and'alsogreat resistance to splitting, and there are no open cracks at any of the joints between the various members. More over, the box is particularly suitable with heavy endthrust loads.

When the boxes are stacked one upon the other with the boxes orientated so that one of the first pair of opposed side members as 12 is faced down, ventilating spaces are provided between the boxes into which air may pass through the slots 15"-15" formedby the outside end of rainwater from the box tops.

second pair of opposed side members 21 and 22 extend The end cleats 24'-24 extend into the corner 6 into abutment with the end cleats 24'-24' and 26'-26' thereof. The aforementioned slots between these cleats are therefore omitted. Accordingly, the lengths of the outside end cleats 15'-15' and 18'-18' are reduced so that the ends of these cleats abut the inner surfaces of the side cleats 24-24 and 26-26. The side members of the partially assembled box may be secured together by driving the nails 40 through the side cleats 15'-l'5'- and 1'8"-'18'. In other respects-the embodiment of'-Fig..6 is substantially identical to that of Figs. 1 to 5;

While for purposes of illustration several forms of'this invention have been disclosed, other forms thereof may become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to this disclosure; therefore, this invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

, i iiigztg 5 g a a erts ash en ied g Qt he Panel east e n d thereof; ndw e mi '1 s he r tth t.

he as oq edt ea tead a edge of thepane l, said 4, A cleated box co r s ther in-u alth 1 thereof, a sedond pairof-op osed e u a weeken ar e: ed he eo on, he hstide h ie it and B l m mb eaehimmd ere l t edges of he eeeag pair ql rassdlt d v I located outside of the first pair et'oppesed side members; the ends; of thejoutside', end: e ea eiq r zaiili fiIfittp of opposed side membersextendingbetwe the side cleats of. said secondpair bf'opjios edfsid mmbers, the side edges of tli'epanels of-said firstpair'(if-side meriibers contacting the'panels ofsaidsecond paii'gof side"rrfembers, the panels of "said-first and second pair of opposed-1ide members extending,substantiallythelength of the box, the end, cleats 9f the second pair of 0 sad side, members passingthrough said cutaway portions'df said pahl -i'iorincludinga substantially rectangular p r cnred along all of the edges thereof on the insidethereof,- i 'b'eis eacliiiiclu 'r'iga p'antie-edges or the secohd'pair "of titans-m being lbeated'out'side of the panels ners of the first pair of opposed side members, the end of the first pair of opposed side members, each of the outfaces of said inside end cleats of said first pair of opposed side end cleats of said first pair of opposite side members side members contacting the end cleats of said second bridging an opposite pair of cleats of said second pair of P of pp Side members, and Said pp end opposed side members, said inside end cleats of said first bers being on the inside of said cleats on the ends of the pair of opposed side members bridging the side faces of the box-and all of the edge t er abutting the Panels end cleats of said second pair of opposed side members, of said two pairs of opposed side membersthe ends of the outside end cleats of said first pair of op- A cleated hOX Comprising, a first P Of PP posed side members bridging the side cleats of said sec- Side members each including Substantially rectangular ond pair of opposed side members, said intermediate cleat Panel, an end cleat Secured along each end edge of the having at least one edge spaced from the adjacent side panel on the inside thereof and an end cleat secured to. cleat of the adjacent opposed side member to leave clearthe outside of said panel adjacent to but spaced from each ance for passage of air, and said opposed end members end ge of the P a e O d pair of opposed side membeing on the inside of said cleats on the ends of the bers each including a substantially rectangular panel and 5 b cleats secured along all of the edges thereof on the in- S, A cleated box comprising, a first pair of opposed Side thereof, and P of pp end members each side members each including a panel, an end cleat secured including a panel, the cleats along the side edges of the along each end edge of the panel on the inside thereof and Second P Of pp Side members being located an end cleat secured to said panel contiguous to but spaced Side Of th p n ls 0f h fi t P Of PP Side 40 from each end edge of the panel on the outside thereof bers, the ends of the outside end cleats of said first pair and extending up to the sides of the panel, a second pair of pp Side members bridging the Side cleats 0t Said of opposed side members each including a panel with Second P of pp Side m each of the a cleat along each side edge on the inside thereof whose sid end cleats of said first pair of opposed s ide members opposite ends terminate short of the ends of the associated bridging an opposite pair of said cleats of said second panel and a cheat along each end edge on the inside therepair of opposed side members, the panels of said first and of which is spaced from the ends of the side cleats theresecond pair of opposed side members extending substanof providing respective slots, and a pair of opposed end tially the length of the box, said inside end cleats of members each including a panel, the cleats along the side said first pair of opposed side members bridging the side edges of the second pair'of opposed side members being faces of the end cleats of said second pair of opposed side located outside of the first pair of opposed side members, members, and said opposed end members being on the said outside cleats of said first pair of opposed side meminside of said cleats on the ends of the box. bers fitting into said slots formed by the cleats of said 3. A cleated box comprising, a first pair of opposed second pair of opposed side members, said inside cleats of side members each including a substantially rectangular said first pair of opposed side members being between the panel, an end cleat secured along each end .edge of the end cleats of said second pair of opposed side members, panel on the inside thereof and an end cleat secured to and said opposed end members being on the inside of the the outside of said panel adjacent to but spaced from each inside end cleats of said opposed side members. end edge of the panel, said latter end cleats being slotted 6. A cleated box comprising, a first pair of opposed to permit circulation of air when similar boxes are stacked side members each including a substantially rectangular with the first pair of opposed side members being hori- 0 panel, an end cleat secured at each end edge of the panel zontal, a second pair of opposed side members each inon the inside thereof and an end cleat secured to said eluding a substantially rectangular panel and cleats sepanel contiguous to but spaced from each end edge of cured along all of the edges thereof on the inside therethe panel on the outside thereof and terminating short of of, and a pair of opposed end members each including a the sides of the panel, a second pair of opposed side mem- P the Cleats along'the Side edges of he s cond pair f v 5 bers each including a substantially rectangular panel with opposed side members being located outside of the panels a cleat along ach side edge on the inside thereof and a of the first pair of opposed side members, the ends of cleat along each end edge on the inside thereof which t Outside end Cleats of said first P of pp sed side bridges the ends of the side cleats thereof, and a pair of members bridging the side cleats of said second pair ot opposed end members each including a panel, the cleats opposed side members, each of the outside end cleats 7 along the side edges of the second pair of opposed side of said first pair of opposite side members bridging an members being located outside of the panels of the first opposite pair of said cleats of said second pair of opposed pair of opposed side members, the ends of said outside side members, said inside end cleats of said first pair of cleats of said first pair of opposed side members bridging opposed side members bridging the side faces of the end the side cleats of said second pair of opposed side memcleats of said second pair of opposed side members, and bers, said inside cleats of said first pair of opposed side V 7 s members being between the end cleats of said second pair of opposed side members, and said opposed end members being on the inside of the inside end cleats of said opposed side members.

r 7. A box including a first pair of'spaced, opposed substantially rectangular side panels, a second pair of spaced, opposed substantially rectangular side panels extending transversely of and bridging said first pair of opposed panels, afirst pair of cleats on the outside of each of said first pair of panels adjacent a first pair of opposite edges thereof, and a second pair'of cleats on the outside of each of said first pair of panels bridging the opposite ends of said first pair of cleats thereon, and at least two of the the uppermost of said horizontal panels a second pair of cleats onthe'outside of said uppermostpanel respe'c-' t'ively bridging. opposite ends of said first pair of cleats, said firstandi'second pairs of cleats thereby enclosing the spaceringed there by, and at least one of said cleats cleats associated with each of said'first pair of panels being i slotted to permit free circulation of air when the cleated sides oftsimilar boxes-are placed in contact with each other. 7 1' 1 v 8. A box including a first pair of spaced substantially rectangular horizontal panels constituting top and bottom walls of the box, and a pair of substantially ICC! having a slot formedrin the bottom face thereof through which rain water falling into saidspace can drain.

' :References 'Cited in thefile' of this patent l UNITED'STATES PATENTS Glidewell et a1; Ian. 3, 1893 1,602,818 Geddes Oct. 12, 1926 2,709,020 Ladd May 24, 1955. FOREIGN PATENTS I 1. 95 ,880 France Aug.,1 5, 1949 

